1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat mooring apparatus, and more particularly, to an improved mooring system with a snubbing device which can hold a boat away from a dock against its mooring lines in order to avoid damage to the boat or dock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are presently different systems to provide a shock absorbing interface between a small pleasure boat and a dock when the boat is moored to the dock. The most common of these devices is to provide fenders of resilient material on the side of the dock where it is anticipated the boat will be moored. Many boats in the 20-foot to 40-foot range carry their own portable fenders for use when being moored to a dock. Such fenders are usually stored on board when not in use. A whip type mooring device has also been developed which includes at least a pair of fiberglass, bowed, flexible poles mounted to the dock, with the free ends connected to the bow and stern of the boat, thus retaining the boat near but spaced from the dock, and allowing vertical movement in reaction to the waves, etc.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,464,214, King, issued Sept. 2, 1969, and 3,842,779, Jaynes, issued Oct. 22, 1974, are good examples of a mooring system using a snubbing device. Both patents show a pair of bowed frame members mounted to a dock, with a cable under tension between respective ends of each bow. The boat is maintained, spaced from the dock by these snubbers, and the tensioned cables absorb most lateral shocks while allowing the boat to ride up and down in a vertical plane.
The problem with these devices, including the whip mooring system and the bowed snubbing devices, is that the boat is held spaced from the dock making it difficult to board.